Would you employ someone with a mental illness? Don’t worry about it. If you have more than a handful of employees, you probably already have.

Almost half of us will probably have a mental illness at some stage of our lives, so it is a wonder we are not more accepting of it.

Looking around at friends and colleagues, it is a more a matter of picking out the ones who have never dealt with an episode of depression, anxiety, addiction, eating disorders or phobias.

And that is before we even get to schizophrenia and bipolar mood disorder.

About 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health problem in their life, equating to about 20 per cent every year, according to charity SANE Australia.

The most common disorders among the total Australian population, says SANE, are:

Anxiety disorders: 14 per cent

Depression: 6 per cent

Substance use: 5 per cent

Psychotic disorders: 1 per cent

SANE mindful employer client relationship manager Naomi Lehrer says it is important for people to start the conversation about mental health in the workplace, so that people who have a problem can get some help.

Knowledge aids healing

“People who feel supported in the workplace are much more likely to get better,” she told a recent gathering held by Diversity Council Australia.

Aside from the fact that this is the humane and responsible thing to do, it also has a pay-off to the business. Up to 18 million absentee days each year in Australia are attributable to mental illness.

“It is important to treat mental illness as you would any other health problem,” Lehrer says.

In a documentary screened recently on the ABC, (Ruby Wax’s Mad Confessions), the comedienne/depression sufferer followed a group of British workers who had decided to disclose their illnesses to their colleagues.

One woman, Charlotte Fantelli, had recently started a new job and wanted to explain her unusual behaviour.

“They were unaware of why I refused to shake hands, drink their tea, or open doors,” she wrote in a blog. She has obsessive compulsive disorder.

“To them I supposed I looked aloof, over professional and stand-offish – all right, I looked like a bitch!

“But it was easier to look like a bitch than to admit I was scared. In my head, looking at the seemingly innocuous objects was like a scene from a Dettol advert – germs crawling everywhere ready to infect me and kill off my family one by one, in their bid to take over the world.”

Starting that conversation at work can be very challenging. Her colleagues were supportive and one man stood by her side with towelettes in his pocket for her as she shook hands at a company event. You could not help but admire her dexterity as she opened a door with her foot (in a shoe).

Directors responsible

At the Diversity Council gathering, Mental Health Commissioner, Sam Mostyn, said company directors have shown increasing interest in mental health issues since the harmonisation of occupational health and safety laws across the country last year. These changes mean they may now be held personally responsible for breaches.

Directors must take reasonable steps to make sure the company complies with safety laws and standards – and these apply to mental health as well. They can face fines of up to $600,000 and up to five years in prison if they are found to have recklessly breached their duty of care, resulting in serious harm to an employee.

Some of the steps they can take include:

Undertaking training in occupational health and safety matters

Making sure they get minuted updates of safety at their annual board meetings

Being aware of their occupational health and safety budgets

Ensuring there are adequate processes in place to report and respond to issues

The CEO at the Australasian Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health, Jennifer Bowers, says UK research shows that for every dollar spent on proactive mental health programs, an organisation or government can save up to $9.

“Boards need to take into account mental health in their risk assessment ... if you don’t understand it, you are sitting on a series of human risks”.

Ruby Wax will be speaking at the HRIZON 2013 convention in Sydney on August 20. She has studied psychotherapy and cognitive behavioural therapy and provides workshops to corporate leaders.

BRW

BY Fiona Smith

Fiona is Work Space editor for BRW, covering workplace and career issues
from our Sydney newsroom.